Breaking the Day - Chapter 138
Chapter 138: Keeping Promises: Forbidden Area
Li Chengfeng walked out of the door to see Su You.
All his previous arrogance was gone, instead he looked depressed. When he saw Li Chengfeng, he forced a smile and even greeted him. “Junior Brother Chengfeng…”
Li Chengfeng returned the greeting. “Senior Brother Su, how may I help you?”
It was terribly awkward for Su You to talk to him while his house was so rundown. “Junior Chengfeng, why don’t you get a new house? We have… many empty houses. Although they aren’t the best, I guess they’ll be… better than this one.”
Li Chengfeng privately heaved a sigh of relief. Looks like this person isn’t here for trouble but reconciliation. This was great news since he was in a lot of trouble with everyone. Although it did not change his precarious situation, he felt as if he had found a spring in the middle of the desert.
He smiled. “Thank you Senior Su. Although this house is a little simple, I’ve gotten used to it. Plus I had cleaned it up these days. It’s actually really nice and quiet here.”
Su You became even more awkward because he thought Li Chengfeng was being sarcastic. He had previously received Senior Brother Qin’s orders to target Chengfeng. However, he recently realised that this Chengfeng might be the last ray of hope for the desperate Hidden Sword Court. Chengfeng’s cultivation abilities were much better than his too.
Chengfeng had disregarded their previous conflicts to save him in Yanjian hall. This caused Su You to be ashamed of himself.
Su You smiled apologetically. “You must be joking, Junior Li. This place is so desolate even birds wouldn’t come here to poop. You can’t even see the village from here, you can’t say this place is that good. Our quarters have complete facilities, everything is very convenient there. Plus everyone can learn from each other since we live so close by.”
Li Chengfeng quickly asked, “Speaking of that, where in Hidden Sword Court can I read some beginner’s cultivation scriptures?”
Su You was stunned. You’re already so good, why would you need beginner’s scriptures?
Su You’s eyes darted behind him to spot Zhao Xiaobao, who was secretly watching from behind the door. He was shocked. Chengfeng saved him from the brink of death?! He is definitely no ordinary person!
Looks like the beginner’s scriptures are for… his servant?
Su You smiled when he realised this. “We have them. Wait a moment, I’ll get it for you.”
He turned and ran off, disappearing within moments. Chengfeng privately envied these people with this ability. He wondered when he would learn this, as well as when he would master the art of resurrection so he would never have to beg again!
After about fifteen minutes, Su You returned with four books as thick as a thumb and grinned. “These are ‘Notes for Cultivation’, ‘Cultivating Qi’, ‘Psychology of Foundation Solidification’ and ‘Book of Arrays’. Four cultivation classics, you can study them when you have the time.”
Overjoyed, Li Chengfeng took the books carefully and bowed. “Thank you, Senior Brother Su! Right, when will Grand Senior Brother hold the evaluation test?”
Su You was surprised and looked at him incredulously. With a bitter smile, he asked, “Aren’t you afraid of death at all? You’re still thinking about the evaluation?”
Li Chengfeng sighed. “I have enemies both in front and behind me. If I do not keep growing through this evaluation test, if other people come knocking on my door, I’ll be a sitting duck!”
Su You fell silent and forced a smile. “That’s true too.” The battle at Yanjian Hall had beaten all the arrogance out of him when he realised his abilities were worse than a newcomer. They were all almost defeated right at the first array!
How could they dream of breaking through all ninety-nine arrays?
The ranking test would be in about a month, and this test was intensely competitive among the sects. Every disciple had to take a test, and in return, a ranking of the four courts would be produced. This ranking of the courts determined future resource allocations. If Hidden Sword Court ranked last once again, that would make their fifth consecutive time being the last. They would greatly suffer from this.
To maintain sufficient competitive spirit within Spiritual Mountain Sect, sect rules denoted that a court that ranked last five consecutive times would face a disciplinary hearing and possible closing down.
This punishment ensured that every ranking test remained intensely competitive.
If Hidden Sword Court ranked last again, they would definitely be closed down. And if that happened… they would become homeless ghosts of the cultivation world, automatically kicked out of the sect. Where would they go then?
Just the thought of it scared Su You greatly, regretting his decision to insist on staying in Hidden Sword Court instead of going to Hidden Brocade.
Being humiliated was still better than being kicked out of the sect. Their fate was incredibly uncertain!
Li Chengfeng was oblivious to his worries. After thanking Su You and seeing this nervous senior off, he returned to read the books excitedly.
After a while, when he looked up, he realised Su Yuehan was also quietly reading ‘Psychology of Foundation Solidification’. He smiled. “You’re reading too? It’s time to cook, do you want us to starve?”
Su Yuehan said resentfully, “I want to be strong too! Then I can help you next time.”
He grinned. “It’s the thought that counts. It’s probably too late for you to start already. However, if you feed me I might be able to help you think of a way.”
She made a face. “You’d better spend your time thinking about Grand Senior Sister’s favour first!”
At this point, he was too anxious to read. Yeah, what terrifying favours would she need? What would she ask him to do?
After dinner, he tossed and turned all night in bed, unable to fall asleep. When he finally did, he had only rested very briefly when Su Yuehan quietly woke him. He crawled out of bed to wash up. Before leaving, he turned to see that Zhao Xiaobao was still sound asleep.
He looked at her wistfully. “Take good care of Xiaobao, wait for my return.”
Her eyes reddened. “Young Master, I’m… scared.”
He smiled and patted her head. “What’s there to be afraid of? I’ll be fine” He nodded and turned to walk into the snow. She chewed on her lip and hesitated, unsure if she should secretly follow him like before.
In the end, she gave up. She had to be careful around Grand Senior Sister.
Li Chengfeng might not know this but Su Yuehan knew that she was a formidable cultivator as good as the ‘Dragon King’ himself.
With Grand Senior Sister around, Su Yuehan could not be sure that she would not notice her presence.
The sky was still dark. He hurried along the path and finally arrived at Hidden Sword Court’s entrance in time. Grand Senior Sister was already waiting there. After seeing him, she turned to walk down the mountain in another direction without a word. He did not know where she was headed to but scrambled to catch up anyway.
They walked for two hours. At this point, it was already dawn. He realised that they were currently walking amidst ancient trees covered in ice crystals. This was the place Zhang Jinbao tricked Zhan Qisheng: the forbidden area of Spiritual Mountain!
